Foam backed carpet has been known for a number of years. Generally, the carpet comprises a backing sheet, such as polypropylene, through which a yarn is sewn. The loops of yarn on the carpet may be cut or uncut after it is sewn through the backing sheet. Then a precoat is applied to the back of the carpet. Typically, such a coating is a compound of a carboxylated styrene-butadiene latex. Suitable precoat procedures are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,046, issued to Polymer Corporation Limited, the text of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
After the precoat is applied, a backing is applied to the carpet. The backing may be jute, or it may be a woven or non-woven material such as a polyolefin scrim. The backing may also be a foamed latex compound. The foamed compounds are generally made with a styrene-butadiene latex and are fairly highly filled. This may lead to problems such as foam breakdown or foam tearing. These problems are accentuated in recent trends towards carpet tile.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,796, issued Nov. 15, 1966, assigned to Cabin Crafts Inc., Dalton, Ga., describes a process in which the back of a carpet is napped. The nap is then coated with a latex. This provides a carpet with a resilient backing. The napping operation is an additional step in the process and may weaken the pile used in the manufacture of the carpet.
There is a need for a simple process to produce a dense, abrasion resistant, dimensionally stable foam backed carpet. The present invention seeks to address this need.